The case came before the court after Attorney General Andrzej Seremet was petitioned to investigate the issue by animal rights groups concerning a previous amendment introduced in 2004, contradicting the 1997 act on animal protection, which held that animals cannot be slaughtered for meat without being stunned beforehand.

Minister Kalemba stressed that on 1 January, a new EU regulation will come into effect, approving ritual slaughter.

“Arguments have been made that European law overrides national law, and that EU regulations can be applied directly,” he said.

Nevertheless, he noted that “clarifying this procedure could take some time, however.”

Referring to Poland's Muslim and Jewish communities, which by custom consume halal and kosher meat, Kalemba argued that according to Polish and European charters, “it is necessary to respect the rights of religious groups, where ritual slaughter has been practised for thousands of years.”

He also stressed the economic dimension.

According to Kalemba, Poland exports halal and kosher meat to twenty countries, including within the European Union and also to Turkey.

Some 10 percent of the poultry and cattle slaughtered in Poland are done so in this manner.

Poland has 17 cattle and 12 poultry slaughterhouses which practise ritual slaughter, and 4000 people are employed as a result of the industry. (nh/pg)